Scottish women - speak up now while you still can.

[ArabeIIaScott]

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/police-scotland-set-up-new-30983808

'Police Scotland is setting up a dedicated hate crime unit ahead of Humza Yousaf's hugely controversial new laws coming into force early next year, it can be revealed.
The unit is expected to go live in November and training of the force's 16,400 officers gets underway in December in preparation for the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act being implemented in early 2024. The legislation consolidates existing law and extends protection for vulnerable groups with a new offence of "stirring up hatred".
Under the Act, offences are considered "aggravated" – which could influence sentencing – if they involve prejudice on the basis of age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or variations in sex characteristics. Critics fear a disproportionate amount of police time will be diverted into policing toxic gender culture wars, with an over emphasis on "pursuing hurtful words but not violent conduct".
They claim the new laws will also have a "chilling effect" on free speech and warn that campaigners supporting women's rights may find themselves facing accusations of transphobia. Helen Joyce, director of advocacy with human rights group Sex Matters, said: "The establishment of a new, dedicated hate crime unit at Police Scotland sends a sinister message to those who advocate for women's and children's rights.'

In the Times today:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/db21b67e-a557-4753-93aa-36cda91515ac?shareToken=b7a4396fcbb41a59de7bcfe993ad2c40

Interesting isn’t it, the pictures they use to illustrate their articles? Never disability.

And remember, of course, this could be opinions you express over the dinner table at home.

'Siobhian Brown, the community safety minister, said: “While we respect everyone’s right to freedom of expression, nobody in our society should live in fear or be made to feel like they don’t belong, and the Scottish government is committed to building safer communities that live free from hatred and prejudice.”'

Except from hatred against women. Of course. Women can live in fear etc because that doesn't matter.

Current police guidelines mean that even if officers do not believe a crime has been committed when “the victim perceives it to be a hate crime, the circumstances will be recorded as a hate incident (non- crime incident)”. It is understood that these are recorded on the vulnerable persons database.
Despite guidance in England and Wales that complaints should be completely struck from the record if they are deemed “trivial, irrational, or if there is no basis to conclude that an incident was motivated by hostility” being recommended for approval north of the border, a review of how this would work will not take place until the new law is in force.

There's an actual "vulnerable persons database"?

As for the rest, has anyone ever seen the resentments and grudges on local FB pages? And the constant advice on MN to call 111? Won't this be both, amplified and writ large?

This would even be unviable in more families than I care to think about.

Scotland has set itself up to have more informants and reports than the Stasi ever did.

I think they looked at the Stasi and decided they could do better.

Maybe when Scotland does come to a review they'll decide they've not punitive or interventionist enough and adopt more of Canada's Minority Report stance.

House arrest if someone considers that you might say or do something offensive in the future—already described as a pre-hate crime arrest.

Is there a point at which the public starts to consider whether their elected public officials are so dedicated to introducing totalitarianism that it emphatically counts as pre-hate? I've literally just had a second-guessing experience as to whether thinking and writing this constitutes a pre-hate incident.

In any part of the UK of GB, do we have better politicians for whom we can vote? Who will be willing to remove so much of this legislation that is framing us to live in a dystopian society and stripping us of any ability to do something about it (Gove's 'no public life' proposals).

It's typical of the SNP approach to everything though, completely inappropriate use of legislation that is neither necessary nor sufficient to achieve their desired outcome.

Hadn’t thought about it like that, but spent an hour last night looking at their proposed LDAN bill consultation thinking that there was nothing in it which was not already covered elsewhere.

It also contains another vague undefinable concept ‘neurodivergent’

As a female in Scotland with children who has suffered domestic violence and rape from male perpetrators I have never been more dissapointed in Scottish politicians. After 35 years of support, I will never vote SNP again. Yousaf is a self serving sensationalist and his links to Hamas need more scrutiny, amongst other things. I don't like his agenda and his role in Nicola Sturgeons public mauling. He is not of a calibre to carry the support this party had to any outcome. This is anti female politics.

I agree, Violet. I'm sorry about your experiences.